In situ temperature measurements in combustion environments such as engine, research, and power-generation applications, as well as for other gaseous or plasma applications such as semiconductor processing, can be useful for achieving a wide array of benefits.
Combustion has been exploited by mankind for millennia. The combustion process has been increasingly integrated into more sophisticated devices over time. This can impose greater demands on the insight and need for control of such devices, for example, in order to harness stability of operation, increased efficiency and pollution control within tight bounds. The internal combustion engine (ICE) is a prime example, whose application is so widespread that improvement of the internal combustion process can improve fuel consumption and directly abate pollution on a global scale.